The Order's Failure
by EtichaErix
Summary: It's ten years after the death of Sirius Black and the Order's failure to end the era of Lord Voldemort. The war is still going on, and Remus, Harry and Ron have their own problems to deal with. It can all end with catastrophe.
1. The three Broomsticks

No one could ever blame you for what you did. No wonder that you wanted to fight him. Oh, you idiot, why didn't you think a little?!

Leaving the circumstances around Sirius Black's death unknown to the world around, the former members of the DA, Dumbledore's Army had left Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry in a state of shock. Specially Harry Potter. Seeing his own godfather die was traumatic for him.

Now being more than ten years since Black's death, Harry and his friends still was in a state of shock. Not as bad as when it happened, but Harry could still get the feeling of being suffocated by grief. Waking up at night, with the sweat flooding down the front, Harry relieved the nightmare.

But he's not the only one grieving. Remus Lupin felt so miserable. Loosing one of his oldest friends, they were now down to the last of the four Marauders. He, Moony, was the only one left. What a depressing thought.

No one could really blame him for being this way. So down, flooded with memories. Wormtail was back with Voldemort, James and Sirius dead... He started to think that he could die too, just leave it all behind. Just leave it...

"Would you like another Butterbeer?"

Remus nearly jumped off his chair. He turned to look at Madam Rosmerta.

"No thanks, Rosmerta, I'd better be going. I might get drunk if I continue drinking."

Madam Rosmerta snorted.

"You can't get drunk from that," she said and sat down on the chair next to him.

"But perhaps you should be," she added, eyeing him very closely. "You look terrible." Remus laughed hollow.

"Yeah, I must look like a ghost. I haven't been sleeping for a long while." She nodded silently.

"Dumbledore told me about Black." Remus turned white.

"Really?" he said, coughing. "I didn't know."

"I'm very sorry about it, Remus," Rosmerta said. "I know you and Sirius were good friends."

"We lost all contact by the time of James's death. He was in the Azkaban, you know." Rosmerta looked hastily at him.

"Well, it was hard to miss. With all the things going on, both then and for – what is it, thirteen years ago?"

"When he escaped? Yes, about thirteen years ago."

"Have you spoken with Harry about it? Loosing his godfather and all must have been terrible for him."

"I have spoken with him about it, of course, but he just keeps ignoring me when I take up the subject. It's like he just can't face it."

"After all this time?" Madam Rosmerta said, amazed. She raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"That's the problem, Rosmerta. Since Ron lost his parents, he has been unable to help Harry with dealing the situation."

"Ronald Weasley? They still stick together, then?"

"Yes, both they and Hermione Granger are still friends. No wonder if you think what they've gone through together."

"But Harry still can't face Sirius's death?"

"No, and now, after Molly's and Arthur's death, he's sunken below normal grief. I'm worried about him. For example, you have heard about Cedric Diggory, haven't you? Well, Harry's still going on about that too. It's just as though he's lost his marbles."

"Poor boy," Rosmerta sighed.

"He's twenty-five years old, for God's sake, Rosmerta! He can't go on with it for ever."

Remus regretted what he had said immediately. Madam Rosmerta looked at him with surprise on her face.

"_Remus_!" she gasped. "You don't mean that!"

"Yeah, I do!" he hissed, and got to his feet. He threw a couple of Sickles on the table and started to make his way out from the Three Broomsticks. When he reached the door, he stopped dead in his tracks.

Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger had just entered the pub.


	2. Lupin's dark secret

Remus stumbled backwards and backed into a witch who sat nearby drinking some of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey.

"Aye, watch it!" the witch snapped on Scottish.

"Sorry!" Remus said and looked up. He saw Harry turn to Hermione and say something to her. She smiled back. Harry's face was pale, but he didn't seem too sad about anything at the moment. Ron, on the other hand, looked like a disaster. Hermione said something cheerful to him, but Ron just nodded. She took his hand and led him through the pub to a table near the one he had been sitting just a minute ago. Rosmerta got to her feet and hurried up to them.

"Hello, my dears", she said. "What would you like?"

"Three Butterbeer, Rosmerta", Harry said, smiling at her. "Or no", he changed his mind after a quick look at Ron, "make that two Butterbeer and one Ogden's."

"Of course, dear", Rosmerta said and hurried away. Hermione helped Ron to sit down by the table, and then she said to Harry in a low voice:

"Lupin's here."

Harry turned around quickly but couldn 't see their old friend anywhere. "Where?" he said quietly, his eyes still scanning the room looking after their old friend.

"Over there, by the bar. I don't think he wants to be seen." Now when Hermione had pointed out where Remus stood, Harry had no trouble finding him.

"I see him", he said and turned his back to the bar and looked at Hermione. "I don't know what to do", he said, biting his lower lip. "I don't know if I want to hug him or kick him."

"Hug him sounds best", Hermione said. Her brown eyes were worried. "Harry, I know that you and Lupin's got on the wrong track, but please. For Ron?"

They both turned to look at their friend. Since the Weasley – children had lost their parents, they had walked around like zombies. Harry's heart was aching, now he felt the pain over Sirius's death even more – it was like the death came closer, threatening to suffocate them all.

Harry sighed deeply.

"You got me there, Herm", he said. "All right then, for Ron." He walked across the room to the bar, with the reason to get their drinks (if Lupin asked). He came up to Remus's side and leaned against the bar disk.

"Hello, Remus, long time no see", he said. Remus hastily looked up, his blue-grey eyes met Harry's green for a moment, and then he looked away.

"Yes, exactly, Harry. How are you?"

"Well, we're all mourning the death of Molly and Arthur, but I can't see a reason to why you're avoiding us."

"I'm not avoiding you", Remus said. "I just don't want to see you."

Harry looked at him with a steady gaze.

"Are you mad at me, Moony?" he finally said. "Mad at me for still mourning Sirius, when Molly and Arthur are dead?"

Remus took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Harry had understood exactly why Remus was avoiding him. Harry's eyes widened, and then they narrowed.

"I see", he said. "Well, then I shall make you happy. Now I don't want to see you either." He turned on the spot and walked back to Hermione and Ron. He bent down, said something quietly to Hermione, and then looked angrily at Lupin. Hermione looked up hastily, catching Remus's eyes, then looked away. Ron seemed to listen to what Harry was saying, because he suddenly got on his feet and walked across the bar towards Lupin.

"Ron, don't!" Hermione cried out, but Harry just stood where he was and watched Ron come closer and closer to Lupin.

"You bloody bastard!" Ron shouted, pointing a finger towards Remus. "You're mad, crying out loud! You don't allow me or Harry to grieve, just because _you_ don't grieve anymore! Well, try this, will you, we don't give a damn!!"

Remus stared at him for a second, and then his eyes narrowed.

"Have you been drinking, Ronald?" he asked politely. "You don't seem to feel so good…"

"That's because my parents have been killed by You-know-how!" Ron's voice became a low whisper. "I would give anything to have them back, especially since they died because you weren't concentrating on your duties!"

Everyone in the bar had been following the row, and now they gasped. Madam Rosmerta dropped the bottles of Butterbeer she'd been carrying, and they crashed on the stone floor, spreading pieces of glass over the whole place. Harry came up to Remus and Ron, and stared at Ron with narrowing eyes.

"What are you saying? Are you accusing Remus for killing Molly and Arthur? Ron, think about it!"

"He didn't kill them, Harry", Ron said in a quivering voice. "But Remus didn't keep up that night. If he", Ron lowered his voice so only Harry could hear him, "if he had been keeping an eye at the Order that night as he was supposed to, then my parents would be alive. They died, because he didn't do his job properly." Ron's last words rang out in the silence. Everyone heard what he said. Including Remus Lupin.

Remus looked shocked, and then he turned white.

"So you knew," he said. "I hoped, that no one would come to know the truth about that night."

"Don't you know," Harry said with a voice shivering with anger and angst, "don't you know how it feels, sitting there, not knowing anything about how they are holding up, and then see how the clock goes from 'work' to 'mortal peril'? You don't know that! But you do know how it was to loose _Sirius_, something we both know, and you accuse us of being crazy? I'm sorry, Remus, but I think that you're the one being crazy here."

Harry turned to Ron, who had tears coming from his eyes. He looked at Hermione, who still stood by their table, white in the face. She caught his eyes, and walked across the room to them. She embraced Ron, who started to sob. His body shook with grieve. The whole room was quiet. Hermione stared with a sternly gaze at Lupin. She let go of Ron, and walked close up to Remus.

"I have always admired you, for being a professor, a great one, in Defence against the Dark Arts, but if Ron's telling the truth, Remus… Then I don't think that I even want to look at you. If it weren't illegal, I would perform an Adava Kedavra on you, just to show you how good Moody were then he taught us about the Unforgivable curses."

She turned her back on him, took Ron under the arm and grabbed Harry's hand. She pulled them both away from the bar disk and across the room. She opened the door and was just going to push them out the door, when Ron straightened up and turned around to see Lupin in the eyes.

"This isn't over, Lupin", he said in a low voice. "It's not over yet."

Then he took Harry in the arm and Hermione by the hand, walked out the door, and the door was closed with a loud bang.


End file.
